


Love and Loyalty

by joan_p



Series: Killing Time, Unwillingly Mine [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alcohol, Bloodline - spoiler-y about one character, Body Horror, Character Death, Dysfunctional Friendship, Dysfunctional Relationships, Explicit Language, Eye Trauma, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Other, Physical Abuse, Post-TLJ, Power Imbalance, Terrible people doing terrible things to each other and to the Galaxy, almost, so many
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 12:01:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13810767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joan_p/pseuds/joan_p
Summary: Some people have neither, some have both. It doesn't change anything.





	Love and Loyalty

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I wrote in a long time, and the first I wrote in English. Big thanks to the first-disorder, since he was actually putting up with me talking about this thing, which kept me going to write it - you rock, my dude. Thanks also go to MaoWeiWei and AT_AT, since they too convinced me to write a fanfic at all

Supremacy was a mess when Supreme Leader Kylo Ren returned from Crait. It was more than a mess - it was split almost in two. Shivara Ren found herself in the bigger half of the ship, aware there was no such thing as the bigger half and also that she currently had bigger problems at hand. 

Well. At least the casualties weren't critical. Capitol suffered great losses, unfortunately, none of them were politicians. Chancellor Carise Sindian was fine, her ministers were too. Minister of Administration, Aitor Nachmias, suffered a non-fatal heart attack, but he did suffer those on a daily basis due to being an old prick. Sindian didn't even break a nail. Stars. Shivara hated the inbred bitch.

Halves of Supremacy were still operational; the damage that this colossus took wasn't enought to destroy it. Life support worked just fine. Major communication artery was lost, whole sectors were cut from the bigger half - mainly the educational and training sector, part of the living quarters, part of the shipyard. Shivara stood out of the way of Supremacy crew doing their damage control and necessary calculations. Her Force was of no use now, and so was her function of a guard dog, keeping the Chancellor and ministers in the party line. 

About that. Part of her job as an Emissary was to convey the orders of the Supreme Leader directly to the Chancellor and her underlings. Chancellor Sindian was unworthy of direct communication with Supreme Leader Snoke, and apparently so was Shivara, but Snoke's pride could abide a holocall with a Force-sensitive second-in-command Knight of Ren. Despire her mistrust of the mysterious ways of the Force, she felt his death like a chasm opening and she felt Kylo's anger like a heatwave filling it. But Kylo didn't say anything to her, didn't even stop to explain what in the everloving fuck happened, just went off chasing the Resistance and the Scavenger right after proclaiming himself the new Supreme Leader. Shivara knelt like eveyrone else, and brought her purely ritualistic lightsaber to the ground in a gesture of fealty, but she didn't restrain her thoughts. _What happened, Kylo. Where are you going with this. What are our plans now._ There was no reply. Not a hint whether her job was still needed or what Kylo himself was planning to do with his own.

When he returned, nothing changed. Kylo headed straight to his private quarters on Supremacy. His own, the ones he had as Snoke's enforcer and the Master of the Knights, not the Supreme Leader's. Arguably, he wasn't needed, Chancellor Sindian was more than glad to step in when Supreme Leader, the former or the current, wasn't interested in something as mundane as governing, and Shivara was certain that the same could be said about General Hux and military - if what Knights knew from Kylo was correct. The clean up was in good hands. The First Order would continue. They won, after all. Resistance has been more than decimated. Life would go on whether or not Kylo decided to leave his den. A celebration would be in order, if they didn't lost half a fleet and a whole Supreme Leader. 

The Scavenger failed to be converted, failed so spectacularly she managed to kill Snoke, despite the connection. The connection clouded the one Kylo had with the Knights, but Kylo assured them that while he didn't know its origins, it could help him turn the powerful orphan into the Eighth. It didn't. And when it ended, Kylo didn't not return to the connection with Knights. Shivara was often worried about everything, but she was truly concerned now. Everyone else was concerned too. 

Shivara concluded that she needs to speak to General Hux. She hardly knew the man and what she knew didn't make her fond of him, but the facts were these: he was with Kylo on Crait, apparently he was in the throne room when Kylo claimed the title, and he had little to no personal connection to Snoke, no family feud with the Resistance, no investment in the Scavenger's Force potential. And he was personally involved with Kylo, at least for some time in the past. Feasibly he could have an idea of what was going on. Shivara also needed to speak to someone and ask them „What now?”. Not so long ago that person was Kylo. The last „What now?” kept her going for the last six years. But Kylo's silence told her he was in no way in shape to answer that question, so the least she could do was to speak with someone who could be in a similar position. That, and Shivara really didn't want to talk to Chancellor Sindian. Inbred bitch. 

She reached out with the Force and found Arnik, Mahdia, Olvan, Shandir, and Mordal in a similar condition. They all felt Snoke's death and the aftermath, some did so from light years away, disturbance in the Force was that strong. But Kylo was still seething, less brightly now, almost simmering. It would be best to keep clear of him now, best to leave him to cool down and do the damage control when it was doable. 

Now, time to check the monitoring station. Thankfully, it was in working conditon. 

 

"General, I need to speak with you."

Hux turned on his heel upon hearing modulated female voice, but it caught up with him that it wasn't Phasma. Even through the vocoder, Emissary's voice had a higher pitch.

Upfront she couldn't be mistaken with Phasma, and not because she was too short for that. Hux felt hidden eyes staring him down from the slit between the grid plate and the rest of her helmet, and he stared back at them. Maybe he shouldn't - he pissed of enough Force-users for today, maybe for the rest of his life, which could be somewhat short, if he continued to piss off Force-users. But he also found that he didn't really care, not when his side was still bruised and when he could still feel the memory of his throat collapsing on itself. The sooner the better, probably. He couldn't witness Ren destroying the Order for his whims when he was dead. 

No. That was his weakness talking. Hux needed to assess the situation and come up with a strategy, like he did before. He also needed a fucking drink. 

Antagonizing Force-users he didn't have history with was in no way part of a sensible strategy. Hux only knew basic information about Emissary Shivara Ren, but basic information included that she wasn't known for destroying equipment and attacking staff. In fact, she was always described as calm, if slightly abrasive. Chancellor Sindian described her as „fuckin' creepy”, and while it was definitely Arkanisian sea wine talking, maybe she had a point. 

"And how can I help you, Emissary?" Hux smiled amiably. Maybe he shouldn't have done that. He was told before that his smile was rather unnerving. "I am afraid internal politics are not my field of expertise, except for military"

"That's not what I want to talk about" Emissary caught up to him, her assymetrical stiff coat barely moving with her. "I want to talk about what happened in the past cycle."

Fucking great.

"What possibly could I tell you that you cannot know through the Force?"

"The Force is not precise and I need precise. I'm also afraid it would have to be a private conversation. "

Private anything with a Force-user wasn't in his plans for this evening. His plans were to put bacta on his side, have a drink, sleep for five hours, force himself to eat anything, and listen to captain Opan's observations on First Order's brass to gauge the situation. He wouldn't even consider sleeping if he wasn't afraid of dropping dead in the middle of the bridge and if Opan wasn't adamant that the next stim would give him a heart attack. 

There could be an advantage in the fact that the Knight of Ren he knew to be second-in-command after Ren himself came to him, and not to Supreme Leader. Hux needed an advantage and allies, and the Emissary would probably only kill him if she was ordered to by Ren. Which wasn't probable, since Ren would almost surely do that himself. 

"I was heading to my quarters to rest. You are more than welcome to join me for a nightcap, Emissary."

"Alcohol disrupts the connection to the Force and impairs the judgement."

Hux was aware of that. If he was to willingly invite a Force-user to his private quarters, their connection to the Force better be heavily disrupted. 

"I also have tarine tea."

"I didn't say „no” to alcohol, General."

The prospect of drinking unsweetened tarine tea usually did that to people. 

 

High Command quarters on Supremacy were all built in a similar way, so Emissary shouldn't be surprised by anything, yet she turned her head around as if expecting something curious to see. As if. Hux didn't keep anything personal on Supremacy, except for Millicent, but he took her everywhere. His quarters looked like he just moved, generic to the last detail, all in accordance to the black, red, and grey scheme of Supremacy. Like a brothel, with Snoke dressed as a pimp. His boudoir, indeed. 

Emissary took of her helmet first. If someone expected to see gruesome scars or humanoid nonhuman, they'd be mistaken. Shivara Ren was human, probably his peer, and she looked like she could be a distant relative of Ren, with short black hair, brown eyes, aquiline profile, and skin only a shade darker. She also looked like she didn't sleep for the six years Hux last saw her, but then again, Hux was the one to talk. 

"Everyone customizes their quarters, you know", she said, still looking around, while shucking off her coat. Underneath she wore wraparound tunic made of the same drab material Ren had his clothes made of. Without the vocoder she spoke with strong Corellian accent. Hux took off his own overcoat - living quarters were always warmer than the rest of the ship. 

"I am aware. I am also aware that customizing takes time I do not have" in truth, Hux grew tired of customizing living quarters while moving from ship to ship, but Emissary had no reason to know that. At least he kept well-equipped minibar everywhere he lived. Drunk people were one of the many reasons he was a General in his thirties, and various politicians and officers were always picky about their drinks. Not Hux himself tho. If he actually needed to get drunk, jet juice would suffice. "What's your poison, Emissary? I have lachrymead, Merenzane Gold, Corellian brandy, raava, bitterfruit, Arkanisian seawine..."

"Well, I'm Corellian, I can drink anything"

Hux smiled, tight-lipped, as if he didn't hear this joke before. It was as rare as it was funny. Emissary moved closer, too close, inspecting the minibar from above his shoulder. Hux could actually feel that she was warmer than she should have been, like Ren. Creepy indeed. 

"I don't think I ever had seawine. I suppose the name suits the colour" she said, looking at the bottle full of liquid which was opaque and dark gray, only with a hint of green. "What is it made of?"

"Well, Arkanisian seagrapes."

"Are seagrapes actual grapes or is it something disgusting, like tiny jellyfish, or eggs of something that lives in the water?"

"It's a fruit-bearing seaweed, Emissary. How would you even make wine out of jellyfish?"

"Lachrymead is literally made of bees' tears. Anything's possible" Emissary pulled away, finally. "Which is another matter entirely. The Dark Side feeds on negative emotions, but even for me drinking tears of sentient beings is a bit too much."

It was actually funny, so Hux smiled again. Perhaps Emissary could be reasoned with. Or perhaps it was a ruse. Emissary spent six years working with politicians, with a viper like Sindian. In fact, pretending to be amiable was also Sindian's tactic. If Shivara Ren chose to act like a reasonable, friendly person, she had a goal in that. She was a Force-user and she was close to Ren, knew him far longer than Hux, maybe since they were both children. She was a Knight, so she killed other children, the ones she was training with. He shouldn't underestimate both her intelect and her loyalty to the new Supreme Leader. She probably didn't come to kill him, but there was always the possibility she came to spy on him, either on Ren's orders or because she acted on her own accord. 

Although if it was the latter, it was marginally better. 

"Seawine, I take it?"

"Yes, why not", Emissary seated herself on the red leather couch. Then she re-seated herself because the couch wasn't as comfortable as it looked. Most people pretended to be comfortable nevertheless. Hux took the bottle and the glasses and sat on the armchair perpendicular to the couch. It was actually designed for humans to sit on and it was far enough, in case Emissary was handsy when drunk, like Chancellor Sindian. 

"Supreme Leader didn't tell me what exactly happened in the throne room, so I came around to the monitoring station when I was on my way to your quarters", said Emissary, just after Hux poured the wine. "To my surprise, there was no recording of the throne room in the time frame that interested me" she took a sip of wine. "That's nice, it's not sour or bitter at all. Anyway. Droids at the station had their memory cards carefully cleaned, just of small bits of information. No use of clearance code recorded. However, I can think only of two people interested in the same recording, and Supreme Leader doesn't seem to bother himself with such details right now."

Well, it looked like she was going to kill him after all.

"I did take it" Hux said, careffuly. Where was Opan and his poison when he was needed? "First of all, it should be highly classified. Second of all, I wanted to know how exactly Scavenger managed to kill Supreme Leader Snoke and his Preatorian Guard while also defeating our current Supreme Leader. It is essential to know her power."

"More essential to us, General, since I can actually tell what she's doing."

"Keeping military in the dark is not useful."

"It's not. So I'm suggesting we watch the recording together, General. I believe it would be the most useful, to join the two pespectives."

There was no going around it. Hux took a sip of horribly sweet wine. Emissary couldn't be drunk after one glass, but maybe her connection to the Force would be weakened enough by the time she saw the whole recording. 

"You're absolutely right, Emissary."

 

"I felt Scavenger when she came", said Emissary, looking at the holo recording. It was only beginning. "Kylo assured us through the Force that he would take care of that and turn her to our side, to make her one of Knights. Said that he was working on it for some time."

"Are you all connected, all the time?" Hux asked. There were more Knights than Ren and Emissary, at least five more, but they were rarely seen on Supremacy. 

"Stars, no, it would be a nightmare. I'm not connected to anyone right now" Shivara twirled her empty glass. Hux offered more wine, but she declined. She was watching the holo with furrowed brow and Hux was torn between watching the recording and watching her. The holo won - Emissary had better control of her facial expessions than Ren. It was possible she took her helmet off more often than him. 

Of course, he had no idea, what Snoke was doing to Scavenger, except that it looked painful. Either he imagined it, or Emissary did hiss in empathy. Snoke's boasting didn't interest him at all, except for the moment it stopped abruptly and blue light glowed through his body. Ignited lighstaber flew into Scavenger's hand after that. It did look like she killed him - and Hux was almost sure she didn't, not after he saw massacred guards and Ren without a scratch on him.

"It wasn't her", said Emissary, as if she was reading his mind. Or just they were thinking about the same thing. "If Snoke was doing what I think he was doing, she was busy fucking dying. If she wasn't, well, then she's much more powerful and we're in deep shit. I mean, deeper than the one we're already in."

So Emissary was at least tipsy. Maybe tipsy was enough. 

Hux had his suspisions and they were confirmed, when Ren and Scavenger started fighting with Pretorian Guards, back to back, as if they knew each other longer than few days. Emissary looked at the wine again, for a moment. 

"She's good, I'll give her that."

"Are you not concerned, Emissary?"

"About Snoke? No. We obeyed him because Kylo ordered us to. It's... unexpected though. But certainly not unthinkable. In fact, thinking about ousting Snoke would be pointless, so I'm not surprised we didn't know Kylo's plan."

Well, he shouldn't expect any different. Not when he didn't care about Snoke himself. 

"And you, General?"

"As far as I know, this is how succession works on the Dark Side of the Force."

Emissary almost snorted.

"Yes, it is."

After Ren and Scavenger killed the guards, Emissary paid closer attention to what Ren was saying. Her brow burrowed further, but she didn't say anything yet. Not even when what Ren was promising the Scavenger didn't sound like she was to become only one of the Knights. Scavenger turned it down nevertheless, as was predictable. The following fight over antique lightsaber and impact from Raddus hitting Supremacy were also predictable.

"Well, that was predictable" Hux said, making a move to turn the holocube off. Emissary waved her hand.

"No, it's not over yet. It was predictable, but it should have been predictable for everyone involved, if the connection... Well, nevermind."

Far from nevermind, if Ren's talk with Scavenger undermined him as a Force-user and the Master of the Knights, but Hux wans't exactly in a position to protest, not when Emissary saw him pulling a blaster on unconscious Ren. In a flash, she broke the wine glass, froze him with the Force and put the broken glass too close to his right eye. Hux tried not to breath too deeply. The key to dealing with Force-user was not to show any fear, like with wild animals they were. There was no throat collapsing this time, but the same sinking rage that by some cosmic stroke of luck, the power to kill with a thought was give to someone who didn't do much thinking. 

"Now that's predictable, General" Emissary didn't even look at him, busy watching the exact moment Ren proclaimed himself the Supreme Leader. Or, to be exact, when Hux proclaimed him one. She turned off the holocube. Her voice, which was almost bubbly before, became cold and hard. Which was probably her actual voice. "I need to know what happened on Crait, and there's no recording of that."

So this is why he wasn't dead yet. Good, she gave him a way out herself. She already saw something she didn't want to see in Ren. Digging deeper couldn't hurt. Couldn't hurt Hux, that is. 

"Skywalker happened, Emissary. Surely you must have heard of that."

"Rumors and hearsays. Resistance was defeated, but not completely and with losses. Skywalker was there, but he left no footsteps, no weapon coul harm him and he vanished into thin air. Supreme Leader made a fool out of himself, going after an ancient freighter and a mirage, allowing the survivors to escape. Supreme Leader also appeared... unhinged."

_More than usual was left unsaid_. 

"These rumors are true. This is exactly what happened" Hux kept his voice levelled. What didn't work on Ren, could have worked on a woman who already showed she had some self-restraint. If it was Ren, he would already need a new eye. 

"Resistance base was taken - actually, it's so old, it's a Rebel base. Kylo spent some time there. Do you know what he was doing?"

"Supreme Leader explicitly forbade anyone from going further into the base until he was done with inspecting it himself. It took several hours. Supreme Leader did not deign to say what he was doing. If he was searching with the Force, you would know more about it than me."

The survivors could be anywhere by the time Ren decided to come out of the base, but it would be true no matter how long he stayed there. Galaxy was big enough for one freighter. The signal for help Organa sent was designed to hide the respondents - if there were any.

The Force pressure around Hux decreased, then disappeared, and the broken glass flew away from his eye. Emissary sat it on the table, and then did the same to the shards lying on the floor. 

"I apologize for the mess, General. I acted on an old instinct and it won't happen again" Emissary stood up, rather quickly. Her coat wrapped itself around her and her helmet flew into her hands before she put it back on. "Thank you for your time. We obviously need to have more conversations about where First Order is going under our new Supreme Leader, but as far as I can tell, we both also need rest."

"I could not agree more."

"Sorry for keeping you up this late. I'm taking this" Emissary grabbed the holocube. "It's obvious no one else should know about this holo. Judging by the content, I'm assuming you didn't make copies." 

Hux didn't. Him trying to kill Ren was much more clearer than Ren actually killing Snoke. Releasing the holo would only frame Scavenger deeper, and she was already wanted dead or alive. If Emissary wanted to have something on him just in case, she could. She could destroy the holo or show it to Ren, but there was also the possibility of her keeping the holocube and watching it to assure herself that there is a reason to turn on Ren. 

"There are no copies. You will do as you see fit with this one."

"I will. Goodnight, General."

"Goodnight, Emissary."

Your own Knight, Ren, thought Hux. Your childhood friend, probably. If he wasn't so tired, if the adrenaline rush didn't catch up with him, he'd laugh. It was a bad day, but the thought of Ren losing allies with the speed of sound cheered him up a little. Almost as good as seeing Ren wounded and defeated on Starkiller. A fucking Knight of Ren, the most important one at that, he was so far gone. Hux would feel sorry for him, maybe, if his side didn't hurt with every deeper breath. 

Durasteel walls weren't exactly soundproof, especially not by the door. He could hear both Emissary and Opan. Stars, Opan. Of course.

"And what are you doing here at this hour, captain?"

"I have orders to report on repair progress, ma'am."

"Do you now. Well, I'm not going to keep you from your duties, goodnight, captain."

"Goodnight, ma'am."

Opan requested entrance to his quarters, and Hux granted it. If he was actually asleep, Opan would use his emergency override. It wasn't exactly regulation, but it was something easily explained should anyone question it. 

Opan took one long look at the broken glass, opened wine and Hux almost falling asleep in the armchair.

"Is there anything that needs to be done about the Emissary, sir?"

"About a Knight of Ren? How? Even if it was the case... But Emissary is the last person that needs something done about her."

"Yes, sir."

"I mean it, Opan, don't fucking put fathier's head on her bed."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir" Opan called a cleaning droid and walked behing Hux' armchair, taking off his gloves. He put his hands on Hux' nape, in a way that would be deadly for anyone else. Opan was skilled with his hands, but only Hux knew that he was as good at giving massages as he was at killing. Hux made an undignified sound when tension in his muscles dissolved. Now he was at risk of actually falling asleep midword. "Medbay reported, captain Phasma is in stable condition and is expected to make full recovery soon."

"Finally, some good news that aren't of dubious nature."

"Her helmet was destroyed, sir. The rescue team and few medics saw her face."

As much as he was glad to hear that he wasn't left alone with Ren, Hux had no energy to deal with Phasma's theatrics. 

"She'll live with that. I can't allow her to kill half the staff everytime tha bucket slips off, not now" Hux already knew he'd be the one to explain this to Phasma. So much about good news. "Everything changed and we all have to live with that. I might fall asleep in this chair, if you keep this up, Opan."

"Let's get you to bed then, sir. I'll leave the reports on your nightstand."

Opan helped him change from his uniform into his no less complicated pyjamas, got him into bed, put bacta on his side and on his throat just in case, and massaged his back until Hux was able to fall asleep on his own. He only heard Opan setting the alarm and putting seawine back into the cabinet, as if that sugary swill could go bad, then checking Millicent's food and water. Then he heard Opan leaving him to sleep. Hux would very much prefer him to stay and keep him some more company, like he sometimes did during those years they knew each other, but it was only a proof that exhaustion caught up with him. Opan had other skills, other uses and other orders. 

Slipping into blissful nothingness, he managed to notice, how strange it was that the first thing to build his footing on again would be brought to him by a fucking Knight of Ren. Millicent chose the perfect moment to get on the bed and curl up on his back. 

 

Shivara almost regretted waking up, but then she also regretted the dream she had. It involved both Chancellor Sindian and General Hux, and it reminded Shivara that the she didn't get laid in a year. If she did, maybe she wouldn't be having explicit dreams about mildly attractive Arkanisians who were proven to be dangerous. The fact that after all these years there were some proccessess in her body that eluded her control infuriated her. She could stop menstruation from happening but she couldn't help a wet dream? Absurd. It would be good to check her bodily chemistry again. 

She had more pressing concerns than that, however. Chancellor was more persistent than usual. Shivara barely got out of the fresher when Sindian made contact. Angrily, Shivara sat at her low desk, put on her helmet and accepted the holocall. 

They literally lived roughly five hundreds meters from each other. 

"How can I help you, Sindian?" she asked, when Chancellor's classically attractive form appeared. Chancellor was standing by her dresser, doing her make up. Some of the tools she was using looked like torture implements, which made Shivara glad she never got into facepainting. 

"You'd help me if you told me, if our new Supreme Leader - may his rule be infinite - issued any orders. Which is, you know, your job, Ren."

There it was. The sweet tone and the passive aggression that made Shivara want to strangle Sindian at least once a day. She was glad she was wearing a helmet. Chancellor already saw her face, many times before, but Shivara didn't want her to see how tired she was, still, after too little sleep. And after a dream too explicit. 

"Supreme Leader didn't issue any orders yet. You were never that eager to receive the orders from the former, as I recall."

"I'm still not. But we're in a crisis of sort" Sindian dropped the dulcet tone and looked directly at Shivara's helmet. When she got serious, Shivara almost respected her. "In times like these, lack of orders is worse. Absent Supreme Leader is worse than a dead one." 

Shivara hated Sindian for being self-serving and using politics only for her own career, but she had to admit - the woman knew politcs quite well. And for the most part, advancing her own career aligned with advancing the Order. 

"I know this."

"You are, in fact, one of his Knights, Ren. He's not Snoke. Talk to your friend."

"I will" it would be safe now to do so; Shivara would be surprised if Kylo didn't summon her anytime soon. "Anything else?"

"Yes" Sindian moved away from the dresser. "I need you to come with me to the minister's meeting. Preferably, we should come in together. Absence of orders is bad, but your abscence would make it worse. They hate you as this stalking, dark, masked figure, but now you'll give them a sense that Supreme Leader is at least watching. Some sense of stability, if you will."

Shivara knew this as well.

"When you're done making yourself pretty, I'll be waiting in my quarters, Sindian."

"I'm already pretty, Ren."

Well, she was. 

 

One thing: Shivara liked the First Order. Putting everything in the Galaxy where it fucking belonged was a policy she could follow. She wasn't indifferent like most of the Knights, or fixated on the past, like she thought Kylo was (apparently, not anymore). Shivara felt like she actually found her place, when she was working for the Order. 

That feeling usually flew right out of airlock when she dealt with politicians. Ministers meetings were usually tedious, but Shivara could deal with tedious. This one was not. They were in a kind of crisis after all. Not really crisis, since their major threat got eliminated, but a crisis, because Supremacy was cut in half, half of the fleet got destroyed and oh, Supreme Leader got replaced, by someone young and known both for his legendary heritage, poor anger management and terrible decisions. 

Politicians thrived on crisises and they made them bolder. Minister of Foreign Policy, Avena Tichy, had the gall to ask Shivara about Snoke's funeral. She was never that brave before. In truth, no one had asked Shivara anything before. Shivara told her that Supreme Leader will inform his administration of his desicion when he sees fit, but it was just a quibble. Kylo needed to actually act up and he neeeded to do it soon. 

She was almost glad when the meeting ended. She was even more glad when Kylo summoned her. 

Shivara half expected Kylo's quarters to be destroyed, despite her better judgement. Past a certain point, he wasn't lashing out at inanimate objects, only people. She took a deep breath. Kylo was stronger, both physically and with the Force, but she could hold her own. Her cool head and precise use of the Force made up the difference of height, weight and Force potential, however it was measured.

She walked slowly, quietly to Kylo sitting crossed-legs, seemingly medidating, in the center of his bedroom, also barely customized. Shivara knew he was wounded by the Scavenger in their first encounter, but seeing the actual scar was a shock. Not as much of a shock as seeing the bigger scar on his side, left by the bowcaster. She knew whose bowcaster it was. Shivara never met Chewbacca, or Han Solo for that matter, but...

A chasm, opening. Anger to follow. 

Kylo opened his eyes when the stood close enough. Shivara didn't consider herself to be sentimental, but she could swear his eyes were different when they met in person before. Not only because they looked horribly tired. And she still couln't feel Kylo with the Force, while they were in the same room. If Shivara thought seeing Kylo could reassure her, he was proving her wrong.

Two can play this game. 

"You have no idea how good it is to see someone who doesn't want to betray me. Or someone who should be dead, but isn't", said Kylo, looking up to Shivara. "Sit with me."

Shivara sat on the floor, legs crossed, and took of her helmet. They usually didn't wear helmets with each other. She didn't even so Kylo's anywhere near. 

There where many ways to do this, but Shivara wanted to give Kylo a chance. Maybe he didn't mean to betray the Knights just to gain Scavenger's trust. Or maybe Scavenger just needed to feel special for a moment before Kylo would make her a Knight and not an Empress. Maybe there was not a reason to denounce him as a traitor to the other Knights. Kylo deserved a chance. The Knights deserved the whole truth.

"I can't feel you through the Force, Kylo. I can't feel you for a few days, and now you're a Supreme Leader."

"You understand that I couldn't think it through or pull you all with me."

"I do. But Snoke is dead now. The connection you had with Scavenger - gone. Yet you didn't come back to us, and we need you. Truth be told, since you made yourself Supreme Leader, the whole Order needs you, but you know, we're family after all."

"I need time. Killing Snoke... It was exhilarating, but in the way one needs recovery from. He was cutting me off from you every time he wanted, you know that. He didn't trust you and didn't want me to trust you as well. He was in my head all those years, and then she let Rey come in. Skywalker's vision hardly leaves me since Crait. I want to be alone, for now."

Shivara knew what Snoke thought of the Knights. She knew it the moment she was thrown into the nearest wall for being concerned about Kylo's health during his training. Cutting Kylo off when Snoke wanted him to focus, or hovewer he called it, only reinforced what she knew. 

Scavenger had a name. Good to know. And Kylo still didn't tell Shivara what she hoped to hesr. But he told her something she didn't know. 

"Skywalker? What did he do on Crait? Projected himself?"

"He did. It killed him. He should have become one with the Force, by now" Kylo looked at something with the corner of his eye. Shivara followed. She saw nothing. Realization crept up her spine. "I can't join you, not now. But I will. Reassure others, if you have to, they trust you." 

_We trust you, Kylo. We should be able to, at least._

"I will tell the Knights you'll joins us when ready. But there's still First Order."

Kylo looked at Shivara like he did when she made a bad joke.

"We have Hux for that."

To be exact, Hux, Sindian, and Shivara herself. But that was not the point. 

"Do you want to rule like Snoke? Trust on us to enforce your orders without doing anything yourself?"

Kylo was silent again for a while.

"You must realize by now that Rey didn't kill Snoke?"

"Yes, Kylo, I know. We have a monitoring station."

Kylo looked at her sharply.

"What about the recording?"

"There's only one holocube. Hux had it. I came over to talk to him, because you weren't responding, and I wanted to know what happened" Shivara shot him a disapproving look. "Long story short, I have the cube now."

"You'd do anything to avoid meditation. I wouldn't be surprised if you went to talk to Rey, if you could."

"I would. I'll be in cold, dead space before I recognize Force-induced anamnesis as a viable scientific method. As I understand, we need Order to believe the Scavenger killed Snoke. It can't hurt."

"You'd be so much more powerful if you actually trusted the Force instead of trying to examine it" Kylo smiled, his scar twisting, but then his face was serious again. "But you're right. I need you to destroy that holocube."

So Kylo didn't know Hux tried to kill him. Should I tell him? Would he even be surprised? Shivara decided against it. If Kylo betray the Knights, Hux was needed. Even if Kylo didn't, well, then someone had to command an army and it wasn't going to be Kylo, not after Crait. 

"Consider it done, then" not really, Shivara would keep the holo. Just in case. Kylo didn't seem to mind what he said to the Scavenger, digging himself deeper. 

"There's another thing" Kylo raised his hands, as if calming a wild animal. "I wanted to kill Snoke. He didn't teach me anything new, if anything, held the knowledge from me. We can learn more if we go through his holocrones. He mistreated me, mistreated all of us..."

"Get to the point, Your Highness."

"Watch your tonge" Kylo knitted his brows. Shivara didn't respond; Kylo had a quick temper, but he was used to her sarcasm and to her calling him that when he was acting like a blasted prince. Which he was now. "I wanted to free us from Snoke. Not anything else. Killing Snoke had to be spontaneous, but it wasn't the only spontaneous thing."

Shivara understood. Realizations kept on creeping, slowly, unstoppable. 

"Are you telling me you didn't want this job?" Shivara let go of her helmet and hid her face in her hands. This was not happening. "Kylo, no one else can know. Hux wants this job. Sindian wants this jobs. Half the ministers wants this job, I'm not sure about military's High Command. Force or not, they'll kill you for this job."

"I know. They won't if I give them something they didn't have with Snoke, which is more power."

"Please continue." That sounded smart. That sounded like a plan. 

"I actually read what you and Hux send me, you know. Chancellor can do what she wants, just keep keeping her in line and remind her what Order thinks of personal ambitions. Keep Hux in line. If you talked to him, you know why. Hux will take care of too ambitious offcers, if he knows what's good for him."

"That sounds good. Okay" Shivara took a deeper breath. Kylo didn't reassure her in the slightest, but at least he knew what to do. That was good. Maybe she couln't trust him anymore, but she could trust his judgement. "So now my job extends to overseeing General as well Chancellor and her Council of Ministers? I can work with that. She was way too happy lately." 

"I suppose promotion is in order, Seneschal, since you'll be overseeing Grand Marshal."

"To be fair, it's only a change of titles. I mean, as far as I know, Hux already is Acting Grand Marshal, while somehow still being a General, but... Well. It should do, for now. Thanks for the promotion."

Shivara wasn't talking about Hux alone. Seneschal. She was already that, but only among the Knights, being Kylo's deputy. Now she was his deputy, but before the whole nation. Maybe he didn't want to be Supreme Leader - or maybe he wanted this job, but not this work. And someone still had to do that. 

Shivara did need to have long, hearty, and not necessarily sober conversation with both Chancellor and Grand Marshal. FO had to be governed by people in their thirties. 

"You worry too much, Shivara. If I didn't know you worry about everything, I'd be wounded of how little faith you have in me."

"You gave me reasons to worry."

"I know. And I am sorry for this, for what is worth. I know you have faith in me. I know I put you through much, but I also know you can withstand trials. You are my second-in-command for a reason."

Shivara knew Kylo. As much as she loved him, she knew he was only sorry when he needed to be. It was right. It was the path of the Dark. And Shivara was of the Dark, too, aside from being made a politician. She knew when she was being manipulated, told something she wanted to hear just so ease the suspicions. And she knew how to do it herself.

"I know, Kylo. We know. But we need you to come back soon. We need unity again after Snoke put us apart."

"Tell the others to congregate on Supremacy as soon as they're able. Arnik and Mahdia should hurry; I need to talk about their finding and training of Force-sensitives. We will begin to make things right after Snoke. We will be numerous and free to explore the Dark, unrestrained by the Light." 

It was another good plan. Another good order. It was also Kylo, for some reason, lying to her face. There was something he didn't say. Not a word about Scavenger - Rey, or whoever. Not a word about what exactly he did on Crait, not a word about his words spoken to Rey. No way in into his thoughts. 

"We will. Long live the Supreme Leader."

Kylo held out both of his bare hands. Shivara took off her gloves. It's been long since they last held hands, since they were physically on the same ship, much less in the same room. It's been longer for those Knights who weren't stationed on Supremacy. Shivara tried to convey the feeling to them through Force.

A chasm, opening. Anger to follow. 

 

Hux had many things to expect when Ren summoned him. Being beaten half to death was one of them, but he didn't hope to get off that easy. Possibilities were endless; Emissary could have told him everything, she could have shown him the holo, she could have told him just enough to assure him of her loyalty without throwing Hux to the rancors, or Ren could have needed someone to take his frustrations on. 

Possibilities were endless and it did nothing to soothe Hux's nerves. He soothed them nevertheless, because thinking about anything except the weather wasn't advised in the presence of a fucking telepath. Or feeling anything - but Hux couldn't help but be surprised when Ren let him into his quarters withouth much ado or initial humiliation. Well, there was always time. 

Ren was standing by the viewport, looking out at nothing in particular. There was nothing interesting in the space sourranding Supremacy. He was also shirtless. Nothing Hux hadn't seen before, obviously, but still disconcerting - and most likely Ren's goal.

"What where you even planning to do with the holo?" Ren asked. Calm. Hux felt his blood draining.

"Only keep it safe, Supreme Leader" this answer was both true and safe for mind reading.

"Cut it out. I can actually hear the „fuck you” you put in that title" Ren didn't turn around, still looking into dead of space. "Keep it safe, huh. As if anyone here cared how Snoke died. Hardly anyone knew what he looked like."

Hux refused his heart to fill with joy. Emissary did not tell him shit. She could have been playing the long game, or hold this over his head when she needed to, but he lived for now. 

"I think I know what you tried to do" Ren contined, not turning around. "To show me that you have dirt on me, that you can turn my own Knight against me, the woman I knew since we were children. That you still matter, to put it shortly" Ren, ever the manipulator, chose this moment to turn around. He looked marginally worse than he did on Crait, as if he didn't sleep since then. "I know this."

Hux kept quiet. Ren's mind worked in mysterious ways. It would be best to just reinforce what he already convinced himself of. Ren stalked closer, slowly, clearly showing off. Then he was too close, gripping Hux' jaw, as if he had any right to it, as if they were still together, forcing him to look Ren in the eyes. 

"I know intimately how badly you need validation from your superiors" Ren said, quieter. "I could give it to you, Grand Marshal."

Hux knew he lost control over his face. Ren's shit eating grin told him as much. He didn't blame himself though. He'd be less surprised if Ren actually killed him on the spot. Part of him was convinced he will.

"And what would you want in return, sir?"

Ren tightned the hold on Hux' jaw. He couldn't say more even if he wanted to.

"I told you to cut it out. I want you to actually obey me in front of my men, not undermine me and then pretend to obey me when we're alone and you remember to be afraid for you life. When we're alone, you can act however you want, and I will too, but it's not the time to look splintered in public." Ren loosened his hold. "Nod if you understand. You talk too much anyway."

Hux nodded. Oh, he understood very well. 

"Good. We can start somewhere. Snoke insulted you by giving you the duties of a Grand Marshal withouth the actual title and without the pay. Also by beating you in public. He didn't care, but I do know that you don't give a shit about physical pain, only humiliation. I don't have to be like Snoke. Nod, if you understand."

Hux nodded. If Ren finally realized he needed him for commanding the military, everything will be easier. 

"Fantastic. Because If I catch you conspiring against my back once again, I will kill you, slowly. I will dig up Snoke's holocrones about keeping the victim alive for months and years specifically for that."

Ren's decision to use the carrot for once was a good one, but too little and too late. Maybe it would have saved him five years ago, when they first start working together, but not now. Nevertheless, Hux played along. He pushed into Ren's palm, making the hold even looser.

"You certainly know how to talk to a guy, Ren."

"Get on the bed."

Fucking Ren couldn't hurt. Or it could, but it was the point, just like making him think he won. It was a kind of a mercy to allow Ren do something he was good for before ending him, and Hux did miss that exact part of their relationship. Opan, as infallible as he was, never wanted to be rough with him. 

 

No matter who he was, Snoke was a Supreme Leader. He needed a proper funeral; they couldn't just space his remains, they needed to do it officially. Which meant spacing him with a fanfare. There was no burial ground on Supremacy. Simply, no ground at all. 

Shivara hated Snoke. Yet she stood on the right side of Kylo at his funeral, overlooking an overly decorated coffin being ejected through the airlock with much fanfare, First Order march and such. She stood, maskless, with her hair freshly shaven into First Order's generic undercut and a very elegant suit of a Seneschal, designed by the same man who designed officer uniforms. It was better to look like a dignitary than like a mystical, barely-there wraith. Kylo didn't wear a mask either. He destroyed his own before he even killed Snoke. Maybe it was the time to go maskless altogether. They needed to look human in contrast to Snoke. Kylo had to look human. He did, in public, clean and cleanly shaven, looking composed, dressed in simple black robes looking only slightly more elegant than black sackcloth he wore before. 

But then again, Kylo and Shivara were the only humans among the Knights. They could afford not wearing masks. There was a reason Shivara was the Emissary and not Twi'lek Arnik or Mirialan Mahdia. 

On the left side of Kylo stood Grand Marshal, in his new uniform, looking slightly more rested than she expected after that long, hearty and not-sober talk with her and Sindian. While Shivara and Hux silently agreed to keep Chancellor out of their own scheming, there was still much to discuss and to drink. Last time Shivara saw Hux, his fishy-looking adjutant had to walk him to his quarters just in case. But then again, she herself drank so much that even being Corellian and breaking alcohol down with the Force didn't help. Chancellor Sindian stood on the other side of Shivara and she wore a veil over her face for reasons other than official mourning. 

After the funeral, Shivara almost expected more drinking, to fight off the hangover the Corellian way, but Kylo had other plans. He chose that exact moment to chew Shivara and Hux out in freshly renovated throne room. 

If he actually had a reason to chew them out, things could have been different.

Kylo's composure was gone the second he was out of public sight. He was seething; Scavenger was no caught alive yet (as if she needed to be alive), the remnants of the Resistance were not hunted down yet (as if they were the most pressing concern), the Supremacy was still in repair, that the fleet wasn't rebuilt yet, and that he could feel that thoughts of the officers and civilians were filled with mistrust, hate and murderous intent. Then Kylo went off the deep end and brought up Contingency, Palpatine's plot to destroy his own Empire from beyond the grave. Then he insisted that Snoke must have plotted something similar, even though Snoke was so sure of his immortality he didn't even had a will and FO simply took his riches. Then he instisted that Shivara and Hux must hunt down the traitors an saboteurs.

Shivara tried reasoning with Kylo, but he wasn't having it. Hux didn't try reasoning and Kylo also wasn't having it. One thing led to another, and Shivara found herself stopping Kylo with the Force when he was about to throw Hux into the nearest wall. She usually only did that for other Knights. „Don't kill my accomplice in high treason and commander of your entire army just yet” wasn't a good excuse, but as it turned out „There are no secrets between the Knights, but wait with the foreplay until I leave” wasn't that much better. Her head met the wall too. Kylo made his point. Several of them, actually. Shivara and Hux were to hunt down the traitors who didn't exist up to that point. 

Kylo could have a point about Contingency. Maybe. But Internal Security Bureau was covering that up. Shivara and Hux told him as much. Told him that even without a plot like Contingency, many people too ambitious for their own good saw their chance in either sucking up to Kylo or overthrowing him. Told him that Kylo gave soldiers and civilians alike many reasons to mistrust him. Still, heads and walls. 

Shivara needed some time alone after that. Hux wasn't having that either.

"Seneschal, we do need to talk what the fuck just happened..." Hux trailed off, when Shivara stopped on her way to her quarters and turned around to face him. 

"We will, Grand Marshal, I have a lot to talk about. But right now, I need to confer with the Knights."

"Oh. Very well, then. Just so you know, you're bleeding" Hux gestured to his own right temple, only bruised. Shivara huffed, pissed off, took of her glove and pressed fingers to her bleeding temple.

"How about now?"

"No bleeding. Can you heal yourself with the Force?"

"Sort of" just controlling her body, but Hux didn't have to know. Shivara was half tempted to heal his split lip, but it wasn't worth it. Forcing the cells she wasn't familiar with to regenerate could have given him a tumor. That and he looked marginally better beaten up. "Now if you excuse me...."

Deep connection was a little like meditation, and Shivara hated meditation. She loved the Knights though. She locked herself in her chambers, kicked off the uncomfortable elegant suit, left the leggings and turtleneck on, and sat on the floor, legs crossed, against a viewport. Space was nothing to look at, but it helped her to focus and made reaching out and connecting easier. 

Arnik responded first, curling up around the tendril of her conscioussness, strengthening it with his own spirituality and helping reaching out to Mahdia, then Olvan, then Shandir, then Mordal. Each Knight added their own strength, making the interplanetary connection possible in the first place. Shivara wanted to see them badly, but that was out of the question. When Kylo was with them, sometimes it was possible, but only because of his wild Skywalker power. She wanted to touch them even worse. 

There was a kind of greeting, where they took turns prodding at each other's moods and making sure everyone was in a safe location to talk. As safe as possible, anyway. 

Shivara didn't waste anybody's time - those sessions were straining for anyone who wasn't Kylo. She showed the Knights everything they needed to know about Kylo. About his true intention with Scavenger combined with refusal to rejoin Knights, even to go back to being knowable through Force, about not giving them immediate order to congregate, seemingly prolonging the time they spent physically apart, about still wanting Scavenger alive after all this, about seeing Skywalker Force ghost where Shivara couldn't see one, about denying Shivara and other Knights access to Snoke's holocrones before he went through them on his own. His betrayal and deteriorating mental state made him unfit to be the Master of Knights. 

Kylo was clearly not fit to lead First Order, but the Knights didn't care for that, so Shivara kept it to herself. Mahdia already thought that maybe she likes the Order a bit too much. Then Shivara proclaimed that as a second-in-command, she has the right to remove Kylo from his position if she can manage it. Then she asked if she had the Knights' support.

Shivara knew she had. As Kylo said, she was second-in-command for a reason. When Kylo was away on a missions from Snoke, or when Snoke cut him off, Knights turned to her for counsel and settlement. They trusted her and her judgement; and not one of the Knights could say the same about Kylo anymore. If Shivara was honest with herself, it started long before Kylo killed Snoke. If she was honest with herself, sometimes Snoke felt like a excuse to avoid Knights. That was the sentiment she could be sharing with Knights, so she did. 

_You know we trust you_ Arnik sent the thoughts for all the Knights. And then something from himself _But I do know you're more prone to doubts and worries than the rest of us. Are you certain?_

_As certain as I ever was._

_Good_ that was Mahdia. _We need someone certain. I suggest coming to Supremacy even sooner than we meant to. Deciding our future is something we should do faces to faces._

_I actually want to see you face Kylo. Your sparrings were a sight_ Shandir sent her thoughts, focusing on the wrong details, as usual. Admittedly, she was more violent than Kylo at times. 

_Together_ \- Olvan - _we come together._ His thought were muddled a little, all the way from Dathomir. 

_Yes,_ all the thoughts, really. Then Mordal _Rally point?_

_Malady,_ Mahdia's cruiser. _I will take us to Supremacy_.

_Then it is decided_ Arnik, third-in-command, if it was a thing. He turned his thoughts to Shivara _We will send our thoughts when we manage to arrive._

_I will send you thoughts if you won't before I deal with Kylo._

_Good._

It was decided, really. Now, time for the Grand Marshal.

 

"Forgive me, Grand Marshal, but I thought that a private conversation would be private", said Shivara, looking pointedly at Hux' adjutant. Captain looked more and more like a human-Karkarodon hybrid the more she was looking at him, and yet Shivara was sure humans were preferred in the First Order military, unless a nonhuman's name was Snoke or Thrawn. 

"I trust captain Opan with anything, but if it makes you feel better... Opan, leave us alone."

"Yes, sir."

Captain Fishface left and Shivara seriously thought, that she would probably regret touching his mind with the Force. His presence was disturbing enough that she felt it without trying. He was trained to think around telepaths, but that wasn't the point, Hux was too and yet he wasn't that disturbing.

When Shivara came over to Hux's chambers, Grand Marshal wasn't expecting her that soon, judging by captain Creepy tending to his bruises. A little to her dismay, he dressed up rather quickly. 

"You know, I killed children and your adjutant still creeps me out", said Shivara, when Hux busied himself with puring seawine for her and Corellian brandy for himself. The irony didn't escape Shivara. "Let me guess: your personal hitman."

"Who else would be my adjutant?" Hux shrugged, still holding the glasses. He handed over the seawine to Shivara, then put something else on the table. A small holocube. "I know we have much to discuss, but I wanted to you to have this first, as a token of good faith."

Shivara raised her eyebrows so high she couldn't feel them anymore, but she turned the holocube on. Then she almost broke the wineglass again, but for different reasons. 

They were sure they destroyed everything, but here she saw a holo of Knights of Ren before they knew this is what they're gonna call each other, before they even graduated from padawans. They were just the oldest students at Skywalker's academy back then. Kylo stood at the center, embracing Shivara and Arnik. Shivara had her other arm around Mahdia's neck - stars, she was a shortstack even then - Shindar hugged both Kylo and Arnik from behind, pushing her head between their necks. Olvan and Mordal stood awkwardly on the corners, as they were the youngest and didn't feel at ease with the rest yet. Kylo, Shivara, Mahdia, and Shandir also had hair, which meant they had terrible haircuts. 

Shivara turned the holo off before emotions-related hormones would overcome her mental barriers. She remembered when and where the holo was taken. In the background, there was a shiny new meditation hut they built themselves. Holo was taken by a fellow padawan Shivara killed herself later. 

"How did you get it?" she asked, after taking a big sip of seawine.

"After our beloved Supreme Leader discarded his mask, things like that started to appear at the black market. Internal Security Beareau already took care of that" Hux added, seeing the look on Shivara face. "Apparently, most of it is garbage and holoshop, but I thought that since I recognize all the faces, this holo is real. Judging by your reaction, I was right."

Of course. Nobody would put their faces on a fake holo, they just weren't that sensational. 

"It is. Thank you, Grand Marshal."

"I suppose we can drop titles since we've already sung Corellian drinking songs. And since we're engaged in high treason."

So, the thick of it. Hux apparently tried to soften her with a holo that was useless for blackmail. Everyone knew who Kylo was now, and nobody cared who the rest of the Knights were. Two can play this game. Hux had no holos like that taken, but Shivara read his dossier, had the access to First Order archives, and was quite capable of math.

"Have you ever been loyal to anyone, Hux? Once in your life? I obviously don't mean General Brendol Hux, but there are some figures that didn't die horribly, like Grand Marshal Thrawn or Supreme Leader Sloane."

"You answered your own question. They didn't die horribly" Hux' face twitched, but only a little. Not really satysfying. 

"And here I was about to make a quip that love is not loyalty, since the woman who raised you almost as her own died mysteriously in her sleep. Still, the point is, it's not. The Knights have decided. If Kylo wants to kill his past, well, the past will fight back. Entire First Order is built on past fighting back, so it's not that much of a metaphor."

Hux actually smiled, and the sight was as terrifying as it was endearing. 

"I guess the question is only how and when. The military is ready to oust him any minute, really" he said, as if talking about the weather. "Nobody had real loyalty for Snoke, and they won't have it for Ren. Older officers hate him for his incompetence and Crait in particular. Younger would rather see me as Supreme Leader. Unless... you wanted this job?"

Hux's mind was usually closed to any inspection and clear of anything that would reveal his intentions, but Shivara could feel the air around tensing. They didn't discuss it. Only an idiot wouldn't see that Hux wanted power for himself. Shivara would be an idiot not worthy of her job if she didn't see that he also had no fondness of Force-users, to put it lightly. If they were to do this, she had to appear as non-threatening as possible. So, she didn't smile. 

"Do I look like some who does? I didn't even want the job I have now. I'm guessing you won't be needing anyone to do your job for you, so my office would be obsolete. But as a Master of the Knights of Ren, I'd be in charge of Force-sensitives enlisted in the Order, as I imagine you'd rather avoid them entirely" Shivara drained her glass and poured herself more seawine. Time to change the topic. "There's always this little group of older officers who hate Kylo, but hate you even more."

"I am aware. I already have names, Opan will take care of that. Your ministers...?"

"They're Chancellor's, not mine, but yes. I already made sure they listen to Supreme Leader no matter who they are. You're putting a lot of faith in captain Karkarodon, you know that?"

"I have my reasons. And don't call him that, Opan is fully human and has papers to prove it."

 

Hux wanted to use poison, but Seneschal couldn't be swayed: she insisted that she'd deal with Ren personally. Apparently Knights of Ren had a set of ritualistic rules that would prevent her from being as reasonable as she was when matters at hand didn't involve Force. 

Meanwhile he had to deal with Phasma, who refused to deal with a couple of things. For one: her helmet was damaged, her face was too, and too many people to kill saw her face. Secondly, she was a General now, because new management (Seneschal) was tired of the mess in the paperwork and didn't want to hear explanations why a mere captain was in charge of Stormtrooper Program like a General and was paid like a General. Third of all, she had a cybernetic eye now. Phasma didn't take any of this well, but she had no choice. Nobody had, times and Supreme Leaders have changed. Hux left the medbay feeling one blue eye boring a hole in his back. Phasma was smart and driven to survive. She would come around. If she wouldn't, well, she knew best what Parnassos beetle could do. 

Meanwhile Ren proved once again that common sense and sanity eluded him when he let cornered Resistance fighters escape. Just because he thought Scavenger was on Millenium Falcon. She was not. The freighter was empty, going on autopilot, clearly a decoy and a Force-trick. This, and the suggestion that maybe Supreme Leader was above commanding missions personally left Hux with a limp and a cracked rib, at least one. 

Ren was still foaming at his mouth when Shivara confronted him, and even Hux could see that it was smart of her. That's all he saw. Seneschal considerately but firmly pushed him out of the throne room with the Force and shut the door. He got a glimpse of bright orange lighstaber. 

There was nothing to be done until the door opened again. If Shivara died, Hux could forget about the whole affair and pretend to be loyal until he figured out how to slip Ren the beetle. If they both died, that would be ideal. 

The door opened and Hux was almost sure they both died. Ren had to be dead; his head was a meter away from his body, the wound cut cleanly and cauterized. Shivara laid not so far away from him, unmoving, but with her head still connected to her body. Hux wouldn't make the same mistake twice, so he took off his glove to actually take the pulse. Before he could do that, Shivara wheezed loudly and then started to heave. So, alive. 

Something was clearly wrong. Shivara scrambled before she could get up, and she stood stiffly, as if something was holding her up. Her breath still wasn't normal. Hux commed Stynnix.

"Notify medbay that Seneschal needs medical attention, immediately. Throne room."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm mostly okay", said Shivara, still heaving. She gripped her side. "I think he collapsed my lung with the Force. I had worse. And... yes, these are broken. Four ribs, I think. Some burns from the lightsaber" she looked up and Hux could see that her left eye was swollen, nose broken, and at least one tooth missing. He looked at Ren's head. It didn't look much better. As if at a point their forgot the powers they had and just started beating each other with fists, like wild animals they were. Ren's gloves were bloodied, so were Shivara's.

Apparently, Shivara remembered she had a lightsaber. Which she know picked up with the Force and clipped to her belt. 

"Is it something you can repair yourself?"

"Not really, no. Thanks, Supreme Leader. Congratulations" Shivara walked up, stiffly, to Ren's head and picked it up. She looked it in the eye for a moment. And another moment. Hux didn't have time for that.

"I'll make the announcement. Medbay should pick you up any minute now."

Shivara didn't respond. Hux still didn't have time for that. He felt robbed that he didn't get to see Ren getting beat up and then die, but Ren was dead and that was all that mattered. And, of course, throne room was still monitored. 

 

Hux thought Shivara Ren was that one Force-user that could not be trusted, of course not, but could be counted on. He was wrong. She told him the Knights of Ren were coming to Supremacy on Malady only after she killed Ren, long after, when she got out of a bacta tank; she also said she will deal with them, convince them to serve him as a Supreme Leader. Now, if she told him earlier that there will be five more violent Force-users...

He took the position of Supreme Leader without much hassle. Sudden disappearance of old Imperial officers and officials who were against him was a message clear enough. Chancellor was clearly displeased that she wasn't let on on the coup, but she assured Hux that she wouldn't try anything since she wanted to keep her position. Since Hux didn't plan on appointing anyone else Grand Marshal, Sindian could be useful. At least she wasn't with the Force.

Ren should have been spaced without any ceremony, like a traitor to the Order. But Shivara wouldn't have it. She demanded that Ren would be put in stasis coffin until Knights claim him and bury him according to the ritual. Their discussion got heated, until Shivara said „This isn't negotiatable, Supreme Leader”. Title sounded like a threat. It was a threat. Shivara then withdrew to her personal quarters and stayed there, announcing that she waits for the Knights. Hux had Stynnix keep and eye on her, but Stynnix didn't report anything worthwhile. Apparently all Shivara did was meditating beside Ren's coffin, and eating rearly, if at all. The fact that she kept preserved corpse in her chamber disturbed Hux a little, but not as much as the thought of her turning at him, which she could do at any minute. He was an idiot for letting someone who gave him power live that long. 

Naturally, he had Opan introduce her to the Parnassos beetle. After seeing what that thing did to his father, he had Opan keep synthetic venom at hand, just in case. Maybe Shivara didn't deserve death that gruesome, but what can you do to a Force-user that can heal herself to an unspecified degree? 

That was the plan. Poison Shivara, space Ren's remains and bomb Malady when it came in contact. Find among Force-sensitive recruits someone ambitious with no ties to Knights and put them in charge. Except Shivara didn't seem to stay poisoned even after venom should have took over. She was smaller and lighter than Brendol, it should have been faster. 

"She did what" Hux repeated, more pissed off than scared. 

"Requested bacta tank with cooled bacta, sir" Opan said again. "Freezing, actually. Then she got in without sedatives. She was still in the bacta when I left the medbay. According to the medics, she looked half dead, but she was still walking on her own."

"Fucking Parnassos beetle."

"I know, sir. May I suggest something?"

"I'm dead, of course you may."

"Not if I can help it, sir" Opan looked at Hux with pure affection that have been there for over a decade. At least Opan never failed him. "Master Shivara requested no sedatives. It's possible she needs to think to use the Force to stop the venom."

Opan could be right. Hux didn't have any other ideas. 

"Can you actually poison her with a neurotoxin and a sedative before she figures out who poisoned her now?"

Opan didn't respond. Not because he didn't know, but because alarm in Hux's office went off. 

 

Shivara was far beyond livid. Freezing bacta cleared her mind much more than her body. Far more then her body - she felt she was bleeding from her mouth, eyes, ears, nose, and anywhere else. Her blood didn't congeal right. She caught her reflection in a polished panel. She looked like death, grey from blood loss, red-eyed, blood on her face and on her clothes, sticking to her body with bacta.

Good. She was death. She knew it the moment she held Kylo's head in her hands, but now it was clear. She made a mistake, used Knights' trust in her to fuel a fight for power, and she didn't deserve to be Master of the Knights anymore, but she could still kill the man who started it all. She was a fool for thinking there was something for her in the Order, her place was with the Knights and maybe they will take her back if she prostrated enough...

There was no reason to hold back. Dams she put on her adrenaline, her fear, anger and hate, broke through, tapping into the Dark. Shivara wen straight to Hux's office, where he resided instead of throne room, pushing away anyone who looked like they might stop her. She didn't bother opening the door. Durasteel and transparisteel flew away revealing the reception. Hux's adjutants and guarding stormtroopers all reached for their blasters.

"I'm here for Supreme Leader and no one else" Shivara said. Her voice didn't sound like her own. Good. "All of you can go."

"No fucking way, ma'am" young, too young lieutenant hit the alarm button and shot at Shivara. Shivara threw her to the wall. Older captain and stormtroopers followed and were thrown too. Before Shivara got the office itself, she was stopped by captain Fish Eyes, coming right out of it, with a blaster with a silencer on it. Once again, she had to divert a shot. 

"I'm not here for you. Let me through."

"I can't let you do that, ma'am. Please step down."

"Your devotion is admirable, Opan, but I've no time" Shivara sent him to the wall too and broke down durasteel doors. 

Hux was waiting for her, blaster drawn, and actually shot at her, before she disarmed him with the Force. She froze him in place, pushed the desk aside and powered her lighstaber on before putting it to his neck. 

"Call off your dogs" Shivara hissed. "I'm already here and they don't have to die. Tell me what did you poison me with and I'll let you live."

"You won't do anything with it if I tell you" Hux looked at her defiantly above the blade, so she singed his hair and collar. His yelp almost satisfied her.

"Call of your dogs and tell me what was it. I'm not even angry at you, more at myself."

"Parnassos beetle" Hux looked her in the eyes. "Good luck with finding anything on it."

"Good boy. Now call off the alarm so I can leave in peace."

"You're already dead, Ren."

"It's a fucking title, not a last name, Hux. Call off the alarm."

Hux did, through his comm. Shivara pushed the lighstaber further, decapitating him. She stumbled put of the office, over unconcious bodies of stormtroopers and officers. Effects of bacta started to wear off. She needed to get on her own cruiser, Silence, set the course to meet Malady, and get into freezing bacta again, and wait until they find her...

Her body was slower than it should be. She only made it to the hangar before she felt clear lack of direct thoughts she already knew, but too late. When she turned, Opan already stabbed her with a syringe. 

She'd say something, if she was able, if neurotoxin didn't cut her off from the Force and from her senses, and if sedative didn't mull the thoughts she had.

 

Carise Sindian had a bad day. First, Shivara was poisoned. Then, Shivara killed Supreme Leader. Then, Supreme Leader's adjutant, captain Opan, killed Shivara. Then, he had to be restrained by lieutenant Stynnix, because he tried to poison himself when she and General Phasma made him let go of Supreme Leader's head. Then Carise Sindian became Supreme Leader.

And then, Knights of Ren arrived. Carise starred down their leader, the tallest male Twi'lek she's seen, flanked by female Mirialan and female Devaronian. Male Zabrak and male Nautolan waited outside her office. Devaronian almost waited outside too, but she actually took off her ready-to-wear armory. 

"You can take Kylo Ren's body, if that's what you're after", Carise said. _Stars, please, don't be after anything else._ "It waited especially for you, late Supreme Leader's orders."

"We also need our sister's body". reminded Twi'lek. "Shivara Ren, Supreme Leader."

Carise gestured to a black opaque bottle that once carried Corellian brandy (special edition), but now was full of Shivara. Or what they managed to mop from the floor. Carise scratched off the label herself, and tied a black bow on her own. All in all, she was fond of that cold-hearted bitch to some extent. 

"That's what was left" she said. "Take it or leave it, but I'm not gonna keep it in my office anymore. We should space her, since she killed not one, but two Supreme Leaders, but I do appreciate her work as Emissary and Seneschal."

Mirialan took the bottle and hugged it to her chest. If Carise didn't know what Knights were capable of, it would be touching. 

"Who did this to her?", asked Devaronian, sharply. "We have a right to revenge."

"You can take your revenge on total population of Parnassos beetles. That's what their venom does, apparently" said Carise, tired. She had enought of this. "Or on a man in psychiatric ward whose only joy in life is a cat."

Opan should actually be promoted and awarded for killing Shivara, alas. At least Stynnix got promoted, since she actually nicked Shivara with her blaster and then kept a cool head. And then Phasma got promoted, because there was no way Carise would be Grand Marshal too, like Hux did. And then Phasma fucked off with substantial amount of gold and stones. Then Carise promoted Stynnix again, to a major, after she gave Millicent to Opan, solving problems of both now-stray cat and suicidal captain. 

"Leave it, Shandir" Twi'lek said. "We have caused Supreme Leader Sindian enough trouble. Let us mourn in peace."

"Knights of Ren will not trouble First Order anymore" Mirialan said. "We are leaving for the Uknown Regions."

"That's first good news I heard in a while. Godspeed."

Later that day Carise was surprised how she talked to people who could kill with their thoughts. But when she was talking to Knights, she was mostly tired and slightly drunk. 

Long live the Supreme Leader! Well, at least a little longer than two previous. 

 

**Epilogue**

 

There were hard times. And then, there were times too good to be true.

Admiral Poe Dameron looked around conference table on Sullustan ship Pinyumb, sourrounded by little that was left of the Resistance. Which was also his fault. But now was not the time, now was the time for actually good news that General Organa was about to share. 

Poe looked to his left, to Rey. When she first told Leia and him that Kylo Ren is dead, he didn't believe her - not in a bad faith, just that it seemed unlikely and too lucky for them. Leia believed her at once, but she was with the Force too. Then intelligence they manage to gather showed that not only Rey was right, but also that there was much more good news to share.

"It looks like Kylo Ren and Hux are dead, Phasma deserted, and Knights of Ren left First Order altogether" General Organa omitted the ranks, since ranks in First Order seemed to change everyday. "Carise Sindian is the new Supreme Leader. You might know her as a New Republic senator, but that changed when Arkanis joined First Order. She was a Chancellor before Kylo Ren's coup. Here are more good news: their military doesn't support her. And since after every change of Supreme Leader both administration and military's High Command were purged... We might have a chance. I've been getting reports on planets separating from First Order. There are rumors that Phasma desertion caused a significant turmoil among stormtroopers. This is not The First Order that destroyed the Hosnian System."

And holy fuck, I don't even feel sorry for poor bastards, Poe thought.


End file.
